Arkansas Tech’s Natalia Santos scored a career-high 39 points and the nationally third-ranked Golden Suns passed their first road test of the season with a 69-55 non-conference victory over St. Edward’s University at the Recreation and Convocation Center in Austin, Texas, on Saturday afternoon.

Santos was 15-of-23 from the field — including 1-for-1 from 3-point range — and 8-of-8 at the free throw line.

She scored 11 consecutive points between the 15:27 and 11:49 marks of the second half to turn a 1-point deficit into a 52-42 Arkansas Tech lead.

The Golden Suns’ lead never dipped below 10 points the rest of the way as they overcame a 3-point halftime deficit to improve to 4-0 all-time against the Hilltoppers.

“Natalia was on a different level today,” Arkansas Tech head coach Dave Wilbers said. “I saw it coming this morning. She was the first one to breakfast, the first one to the bus and the first one on the floor for pregame warm-ups. Today was the best I’ve ever seen her play.”

Santos’ 39 points were the most scored by a Golden Sun in a single game since her former teammate Jenny Vining scored 41 points against Alabama-Huntsville on Dec. 21, 2009.

Early on, it did not look like the Golden Suns (4-0) would need a career day from Santos to earn their first road win of the season.

Arkansas Tech made 10 of its first 16 field goal tries and built a 23-11 lead with 11:48 to go in the first half.

A pair of Kelsee Barr 3-pointers fueled a 10-0 St. Edward’s run that cut the Golden Suns’ edge to 23-21 at the 7:05 mark of the opening period.

Back-to-back Santos baskets rebuilt Arkansas Tech’s advantage to six points, but back came the Hilltoppers. They caught the Golden Suns for the first time in 15 minutes on a pair of Brittany Ward free throws with 2:56 left in the half.

Those tosses tied the score at 29-29 and they were part of a 12-4 half-closing run by St. Edward’s that gave it a 36-33 lead at halftime.

There were six lead changes over the first 4:33 of the second half, and Santos made sure the sixth would be the last. Her 6-foot jumper from right of the lane to put Arkansas Tech in front 43-42 with 15:27 to play was the beginning of 11 consecutive points by the 6-foot-2 senior from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Her basket at the 11:49 mark made it 52-42 and St. Edward’s never recovered. The Golden Suns used a 2-3 match-up zone defense to hold the Hilltoppers without a point for almost six minutes midway through the second half. Arkansas Tech built a 60-44 advantage with 8:17 to go.

“We were a step behind in the first half and we were having trouble matching up in some spots,” said Wilbers. “We are evolving into a good zone team.”

The Suns held St. Edward’s to 7-of-24 shooting (29 percent) from the field in the second half.